Uli Hoeness, Brent Beckenbauer and all the other German history men, your team took a hell of a beating.

Despite all the pre-match talk Germany have now been beaten twice in World Cup qualifiers, and England can proudly claim to have inflicted their heaviest defeat. With the first hat-trick for England for two years Michael Owen almost did it on his own. When Portugal won in Stuttgart in 1985 there was only one goal in the game and Germany had already qualified. This victory, which had the added satisfaction of putting England ahead on overall goal difference and leaving the Germans looking at the play-off with Belarus or Ukraine, was as fully deserved as its margin was unexpected.

Not even the most brazen English optimist expected five goals, especially after Carsten Jancker put the home side ahead after seven minutes. Yet Owen was simply irresistible, and ably assisted by David Beckham and goals from Steven Gerrard and Emile Heskey, England's fearless quartet of young players not only took the game back to Germany but put the whole shooting match beyond their reach.

The first promising sign for England was Beckham leading out the side, the second was that he lasted more than five minutes once the match kicked off, although the captain had always said he would not be so unprofessional as to risk his fitness. There did not look too much wrong with his health when he hit his first 50-yard pass in the opening minute, nor when he conceded the first free-kick by tangling too enthusiastically with Thomas Linke two minutes later.

Despite Beckham's best effort the home side managed to mount the first couple of attacks, and England were grateful Steven Gerrard had also passed his fitness test when the Liverpool player's quick reactions foiled a threatening run into the area from Sebastien Deisler.

The Hertha Berlin player had been billed as Germany's dangerman, and was the initiator of the opening goal in the seventh minute. Deisler's chip forward into the penalty area was headed back by Oliver Neville, catching David Seaman in two minds and to some extent in no man's land. The goalkeeper was off his line and powerless to prevent Jancker sweeping the ball in to an unprotected goal.

England needed to reply quickly, and to the relief of the fans packed behind Oliver Kahn's goal they were back on level terms within six minutes. Beckham's free-kick from the near the left cornerflag appeared to have been overhit, but Gerrard diligently chased it down to allow Gary Neville to send it back into the goalmouth from the opposite direction. Nick Barmby gained a priceless flick to wrong-foot the German defence, and though the ball came to Owen at an awkward height he appears incapable of missing at the moment, and hooked a shot past Kahn for his eighth goal of a season less than a month old.

That was Owen's 11th goal in 31 games for England, and he might have made it a dozen midway through the first half but for Kahn quickly closing down his shot from a narrow angle. England were growing in confidence all the time, and Owen was a constant source of danger to the Germans, though the traffic was never entirely one way. Deisler should have restored Germany's lead after 22 minutes when momentary carelessness by Rio Ferdinand allowed Neuville to pull a cross back from the goalline, but with the whole of the target to aim for he put a shot wide.

Dropping back to help his defence after half an hour, Deisler was responsible for an even bigger gaffe when he passed back to Kahn. The goalkeeper was forced to pick up the ball because the pass was underhit and Owen was bearing down upon him, but with all 11 German players standing on their own line England were unable to profit from a free-kick from 10 yards out. Beckham's venomous shot inevitably hit the wall, and Neville's follow-up effort from the edge of the area sailed over the bar.

Pleasingly there was no sign of England playing for the draw, despite Fifa making that option much more attractive with their regrettable interference on Friday. Why could they not have waited until Wednesday night?

The only German threats for the rest of the first half were a long shot from Jorg Bohme that Seaman dealt with by his right-hand post, and a free-kick conceded by Gerrard on his Liverpool teamate Didi Hamann that was scrambled away.